auditioning sessions vs. listening sessions

Detlof, You are so right,

God bless the grape! Off topic, sort of, my first real experience with wine tasting occurred on Thanksgiving day 10 years or so ago. My brother-in-law entrusted us with keeping 45 cases of California Cabs, 10 year old stuff he took delivery of from some wine futures. We didn't touch it til he came to Calif for a visit. We opened one of each brand and did a 'wine tasting'. I really gained appreciation for; 1)the small but important differences in wine, and 2) how an appreciation for the subtlies could eclipse any memories of the rest of the day! Wish I could say as much about some audio experiences. I still have 2 bottles left. My brother in law never took delivery from me! :-)

The two often mix for me. When adding something new I start in the auditioning mode, if its a good change I just sort of drift into the music mode. Bad changes usually get tossed out pretty quickly so I don't have to stay in the analytical mode for any length of time.

The most difficult changes are the very subtle ones. I can change my listening modes quite often over the evaluation period. These evaluation periods are generally long listening sessions (five to eight hours) over several weeks or even months. Sometimes everything can seem perfect, than some recording I put on brings out something I don't quite like, suddenly I've gone from listening to auditioning.

Often, these subtle changes require other subtle changes, and on and on.... I can be constantly switching between the listening mode or audition mode through all these changes. Actually, I suppose I'm perpetually doomed to be in this mixed mode. Isn't this forever cycling of the auditioning/listening mode the very essence of audiophilia? The non-audiophile can simply stop making changes and be in listening mode forever.

Ha Newbee,
still off topic but much to the point, your tale, though much more civilized than mine to follow, reminds me of a wedding I was invited to many years ago, where I drifted into a room full of different wines waiting to be served during the day of festivities. I was alone and settled down to taste. When they found me, their mood was different to mine. I was gloriously happy, they were not. I woke up next morning in my own bed. I don't remember how I got home. When I looked, my car was parked properly where it always was. I was about 21 at that time. Long, long ago. Wasn't always that lucky as I had been on that day...No, it wasn't my own wedding....

I think Detlof hits the nail on the head when he says that equipment must serve the music, not the other way around. Musicians often talk about their techniques being the slave of the music, and not the other way around.
I would say that critical listening should also be in the service of musical enjoyment. So to take Twoleftears second and third categories, the more one listens in the second category, the more one will learn, and this new understanding furthers the enjoyment of the third category listening. And the two categories do not necessarily need to be separated, either. If critical listening is approached in this way, then the "cycling" Sns speaks of will become a positive thing, and not a negative one.

Mostly, I’m with Sns
on this one.

It seems I’m always ‘on guard’ when I first begin listening.. at home or elsewhere. Checking for errors, incongruities, something a miss, or being intrigued by or excited from what I’m hearing straight away. I can’t help it. Until I can find no abhorrent issues in the musical presentation, OR until I can satisfactorily amend the anomalies, or ascertain their cause, and remedy them if possible, I’m seldom at ease. However, this isn’t an omnipresent ongoing affair. Just initially. A few minutes or so following changes or upon finding myself hearing new gear.. usually.

I can’t even allow a thing to run in entirely without peeking. A lot. Only those items which I’ve found unbearable to listen to during that period, can be left ‘more’ alone until it’s finished being cooked.

Until and unless errant items can be fixed or justified, I’m likely not going to be at rest and listen simply for the sake of listening. I believe this has more to do with my expectation level than anything else. Neither does it occur all the time or at every opportunity.

It is also in part due to the fact I’ve become quite aurally oriented in my latter years. It’s very easy for me to ‘notice’ or hear very quickly things others do not, as a rule. Consequently, some aspects of recordings and/or their playback systems for me, can be and at times are, quite irritating.

As you can’t expect honey from the butt of a beetle, . If the audio system playing the ‘whatever’ music, is nondescript, or of a less resolving variety, I’m usually very OK with the sound I’m hearing. As long as it doesn’t suck a lot. If it’s a truly poor sounding system or recording, I’ll as easily just move on or try to ignore it or try to turn it off or down at least..

With my lesser resolving systems, I run my mental checks for a balanced sound field let it go at that pretty much, and enjoy.

Naturally as others have said here, when undergoing changes in my main system from integrating another piece, or just tweaking some existing parameter in it, I’m all ears… for at least a little while.

The little while is that time I need to adjust to it, or improve upon it, or remove it.

This latter described state is why I hate to change things. But it’s getting easier and less fatiguing lately. The only caveat to my auditioning/listening sessions is due to my love hate relationship with tubes.

I’m always either expecting failure, or presuming one is about to occur. Sorry, that is just me… In fact it has happened only a time or two, but I keep expecting it each time I turn on the system… after a moment or two, finding out it hasn’t occurred, I’m ok again. It’s weird funny, to me… I just can’t get past that part. But it takes only a minute or so for my reassurance to be regained.

Oddly though… from time to time while listening… I’ll still make a quick mental note as to how things are going… Good? Not good? Wrong? No, it’s ok, just relax. Dig the tunes… and then I do.